Celeron 2961Y vs Pentium B970

CPU

GPU

Celeron 2961Y

2 Cores2 Thrd512 WWMax: 1.1 GHz2013

Pentium B970

2 Cores2 Thrd35 WWMax: 2.3 GHz2012

Performance Spectrum - CPU

Celeron 2961Y

2 / 2

1,085

0.0%

1,093

+0.7%

About PassMark

PassMark CPU Mark evaluates processor speed through complex mathematical computations. It provides a reliable metric to compare multi-core performance, where higher scores indicate faster processing for multitasking, gaming, and heavy workloads.

Value Upgrade Path

This is the official ChipVERSUS Value Rating, comparing raw performance (PassMark) per dollar. Components placed above yours deliver better value for money. The Celeron 2961Y is positioned at rank 397 and the Pentium B970 is on rank 1112, so the Celeron 2961Y offers better cost-efficiency for playing games.

MSRP is the manufacturer's suggested retail price.•
Avg price is the current average price collected from markets across the web.

Performance Per Dollar Celeron 2961Y

#120

Core i7-11850HE

MSRP: $400|Avg: $75

98%

#385

Atom x5-Z8300

MSRP: $20|Avg: N/A

541%

#386

Atom Z3735G

MSRP: $17|Avg: N/A

533%

#387

Core i5-480M

MSRP: $81|Avg: $77

489%

#388

Core i5-460M

MSRP: $80|Avg: $129

487%

#389

Core i5-2540M

MSRP: $266|Avg: $10

483%

#391

Core i5-450M

MSRP: $32|Avg: $31

466%

#392

Core i3-380M

MSRP: $49|Avg: $25

447%

#393

Core i5-430M

MSRP: N/A|Avg: $33

446%

#394

Core 2 Duo T6600

MSRP: N/A|Avg: $4

434%

#397

Celeron 2961Y

MSRP: N/A|Avg: N/A

100%

Based on actual market prices and performance synthetic scores.

Performance Per Dollar Pentium B970

#1100

Atom x5-Z8300

MSRP: $20|Avg: N/A

3357%

#1101

Atom Z3735G

MSRP: $17|Avg: N/A

3308%

#1102

Core i5-480M

MSRP: $81|Avg: $77

3037%

#1103

Core i5-460M

MSRP: $80|Avg: $129

3023%

#1104

Core i5-2540M

MSRP: $266|Avg: $10

2995%

#1106

Core i5-450M

MSRP: $32|Avg: $31

2892%

#1107

Core i3-380M

MSRP: $49|Avg: $25

2773%

#1108

Core i5-430M

MSRP: N/A|Avg: $33

2769%

#1109

Core 2 Duo T6600

MSRP: N/A|Avg: $4

2695%

#1112

Pentium B970

MSRP: $125|Avg: $39

100%

#1113

Core i5-2410M

MSRP: $225|Avg: N/A

99%

#1114

Pentium T2370

MSRP: $86|Avg: $10

99%

#1115

Pentium N3710

MSRP: $161|Avg: $50

99%

#1116

Core m3-7Y30

MSRP: $281|Avg: $281

98%

#1117

Pentium 977

MSRP: $134|Avg: $10

98%

#1118

Core i7-2715QE

MSRP: $378|Avg: $50

97%

#1119

VIA Nano U2250

MSRP: $50|Avg: $10

97%

#1121

Core i5-560M

MSRP: $225|Avg: N/A

96%

#1122

Pentium U5600

MSRP: $100|Avg: $50

96%

#1123

Core m5-6Y57

MSRP: $281|Avg: $281

95%

#1125

Core i7-610E

MSRP: $250|Avg: $40

95%

#1126

Core i5-5350U

MSRP: $315|Avg: N/A

94%

#1127

Core i3-4100E

MSRP: $225|Avg: $30

94%

Based on actual market prices and performance synthetic scores.

Performance Comparison

About PassMark

🏆 Chipversus Verdict

🚀 Performance Leadership

Performance Leadership: The Pentium B970 delivers superior performance across the board. It outperforms the Celeron 2961Y in both compute-intensive tasks (0.7% faster) and gaming workloads.

Insight	Celeron 2961Y	Pentium B970
Gaming	❌ Lower gaming performance	✅ Superior gaming performance
Workstation	❌ Weaker in multi-core tasks	✅ Better multi-core power
Price	✅ More affordable ($0)	⚠️ Higher cost ($39)
Longevity	🛑 Legacy (Haswell (2013−2015) / 22 nm)	🛑 Legacy (Sandy Bridge (2011−2013) / 32 nm)

💎 Value Proposition

Insight	Celeron 2961Y	Pentium B970
Cost Efficiency	❌ Lower cost efficiency	❌ Lower cost efficiency
Upfront Cost	✅ More affordable ($0)	⚠️ Higher cost ($39)

Performance Check

Paired with RTX 4090

To accurately isolate CPU performance, all benchmarks below use an NVIDIA RTX 4090 as the reference GPU. This eliminates GPU-side bottlenecks and highlights pure processing throughput differences between the CPUs.

Note: Real-world results may vary based on your actual GPU. CPU performance impact is more visible in processing-intensive titles and high-refresh-rate gaming scenarios.

Celeron 2961Y Benchmark Check

Pentium B970 Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

No prediction data available

League of Legends

No prediction data available

League of Legends

Valorant

No prediction data available

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Celeron 2961Y and Pentium B970

Celeron 2961Y

The Celeron 2961Y is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 1 December 2013 (12 years ago). It is based on the Haswell (2013−2015) architecture. It features 2 cores and 2 threads. Base frequency is 1.1 GHz, with boost up to 1.1 GHz. L3 cache: 2 MB (total). L2 cache: 256K (per core). Built on 22 nm process technology. Socket: FCBGA1168. Thermal design power (TDP): 11.5 Watt. Memory support: DDR3. Passmark benchmark score: 1,085 points. Launch price was $107.

Pentium B970

The Pentium B970 is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 1 January 2012 (13 years ago). It is based on the Sandy Bridge (2011−2013) architecture. It features 2 cores and 2 threads. Base frequency is 2.3 GHz, with boost up to 2.3 GHz. L3 cache: 2 MB (total). L2 cache: 256K (per core). Built on 32 nm process technology. Socket: PGA988. Thermal design power (TDP): 35 Watt. Memory support: DDR3. Passmark benchmark score: 1,093 points. Launch price was $125.

⚡

Processing Power

Both the Celeron 2961Y and Pentium B970 share an identical 2-core/2-thread configuration. Boost clocks reach 1.1 GHz on the Celeron 2961Y versus 2.3 GHz on the Pentium B970 — a 70.6% clock advantage for the Pentium B970 (base: 1.1 GHz vs 2.3 GHz). The Celeron 2961Y uses the Haswell (2013−2015) architecture (22 nm), while the Pentium B970 uses Sandy Bridge (2011−2013) (32 nm). In PassMark, the Celeron 2961Y scores 1,085 against the Pentium B970's 1,093 — a 0.7% lead for the Pentium B970. Both processors carry 2 MB (total) of L3 cache.

Feature	Celeron 2961Y	Pentium B970
Cores / Threads	2 / 2	2 / 2
Boost Clock	1.1 GHz	2.3 GHz+109%
Base Clock	1.1 GHz	2.3 GHz+109%
L3 Cache	2 MB (total)	2 MB (total)
L2 Cache	256K (per core)	256K (per core)
Process	22 nm-31%	32 nm
Architecture	Haswell (2013−2015)	Sandy Bridge (2011−2013)
PassMark	1,085	1,093

🧠

Memory & Platform

The Celeron 2961Y uses the FCBGA1168 socket (PCIe 3.0), while the Pentium B970 uses PGA988 (PCIe 2.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard.

Feature	Celeron 2961Y	Pentium B970
Socket	FCBGA1168	PGA988
PCIe Generation	PCIe 3.0+50%	PCIe 2.0
Max RAM Speed	DDR3L-1600	—
Max RAM Capacity	16 GB	—
RAM Channels	2	—
ECC Support	❌	—
PCIe Lanes	12	—

🔧

Advanced Features

Virtualization: VT-x (Celeron 2961Y) / not specified (Pentium B970). The Celeron 2961Y includes integrated graphics (HD Graphics (Haswell)), while the Pentium B970 requires a dedicated GPU. Primary use case: Celeron 2961Y targets Budget. Direct competitor: Celeron 2961Y rivals Pentium 2117U.